Centrifugal countercurrent chromatography has been used in high efficiency analytical separation with a variety of single and two phase systems. In separation it has been found that the geometry of the coiled column and the acting centrifugal force field play a major role in separation. In some of the previous art of toroidal coil centrifuge (for example see Y. Ito, U.S. Pat. No. 4,051,025, Sept. 27, 1977; also see Ito et al., Science 189, 999 (1975); Ito et al., Anal. Biochem. 85, 614 (1978); Sutherlund et al., Jour. High Resol. Chromatography and Chromatography Communications, 10019, 171 (1978); and Ito, Ser. No. 661,114), the coiled column is placed in the periphery of the rotating disc structure to produce a stable centrifugal force field where particles or stationary phase of a two-phase solvent system are retained in each coil unit favored by the acting direction of the force while the mobile phase is continuously eluted through the column. One of the disadvantages of this system is the lack of mixing force of the column contents which tends to produce inefficient separations.
Another type of system, called the horizontal flow-through coil planet centrifuge (e.g., see R. L. Bowman and Y. Ito, U.S. Pat. No. 3,775,309, Nov. 27, 1973; Ito et al., J. Chromotography, 147, 221 (1978); U.S. Pat. No. 3,994,805 Nov. 30, 1976 and Y. Ito, U.S. Pat. No. 4,058,460, Nov. 15, 1977), utilizes a coiled tube which synchronously rotates around its own axis in either the same or opposite direction while revolving about the central axis of the centrifuge. Thus planetary motion of the coiled column produces a rotating or oscillating centrifugal force field with respect to the coiled column.
However, satisfactory retentions of the stationary phases and particles often require a fine adjustment of this fluctuating acceleration field especially for partitions with polymer phase systems and cell separations. The above cited prior art devices have limited capabilities for this adjustment to meet efficient separations.